Tomato Basil Soup
7
Published Nov 15, 2021, Updated Mar 01, 2022
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This tomato basil soup combines roasted tomatoes, caramelized onion and fresh basil for a creamy and delicious soup that’s packed with flavor. It comes together quickly and can easily be made vegan + dairy-free. Serve it alongside a grilled cheese or toasted bread for the ultimate comforting meal.
It’s officially soup season and I couldn’t be more excited! I love that I can make one pot of soup and have leftovers for a few days. Plus, this tomato soup is so versatile! Serve with crackers, crusty bread or your favorite sandwich for the ultimate meal.
Why You’ll Love It
- This is a staple recipe!
- It’s delicious year round – perfect to use fresh tomatoes from your garden in the summer and fall or super comforting in the winter!
- Packed with flavor for a plant-based soup! The roasted tomatoes add so much flavor.
- It’s great for meal prep – make one batch and enjoy healthy meals all week long!
Ingredients Needed
- tomatoes – I recommend fresh plum or roma tomatoes. There’s no need to peel the tomatoes for this recipe. The skins add a ton of flavor!
- yellow onion and garlic cloves – adds a robust savory flavor base to this soup!
- olive oil – to roast the fresh tomatoes and garlic before blending.
- sea salt and black pepper – balances the flavors of the dish.
- fresh basil – I blend fresh basil right into the soup and top with extra fresh basil for even more of a flavor punch.
- Italian seasoning – a key seasoning blend.
- vegetable broth – I recommend low sodium broth so you can be more in control of the amount of sodium!
- shredded or grated Parmesan cheese – try my vegan hemp parmesan for a vegan option.
What Tomatoes to Use
I typically use fresh plum or Roma tomatoes, but most varieties of tomatoes will work just fine in this soup. You can even use a variety of tomatoes in this recipe. I highly recommend that you use fresh vs. canned tomatoes. The fresh tomatoes add a ton of flavor compared to canned.
Do you Need to Peel the Tomatoes?
No need to peel the skin off the tomatoes before roasting! The skins actually add a ton of flavor to the soup.
Customize Your Soup
This soup recipe is quite simple, but feel free to make it your own. Here are some ideas:
- Want a creamier texture? Add in heavy cream, coconut milk or even some white beans before pureeing!
- Want to spice things up? Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
- Looking to add more veggies? Mix in some greens like spinach or kale after blending!
- Want to use a variety of tomatoes? Go for it! I could see this soup being delicious with the addition of cherry tomatoes.
How to Make Homemade Tomato Basil Soup
Roast tomatoes: The first step of this recipe is to roast your tomatoes. Coat your fresh tomatoes and chopped garlic with olive oil and then spread on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and pepper and roast at 400ºF for 40 minutes. This brings out delicious flavors in the tomatoes!
Sauté: While the tomatoes roast, you can get working on the rest of the soup. Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, chopped onions, salt and pepper. Sauté until the onions are translucent and start to brown and caramelize. Make sure you stir occasionally so the onions don’t burn!
Simmer: Once the onions are caramelized, add the Italian season and vegetable broth. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. When your tomatoes are done roasting, let them cool slightly before transferring to the Dutch oven.
Blend: Before blending add fresh basil and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can do this in batches in a high-powered blender or food processor.
Serve: If you want a thinner soup, you can add more broth at this point. Portion soup into bowls and serve topped with parmesan cheese, alongside crusty bread or grilled cheese.
Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready to serve this flavor-packed soup, portion it into bowls. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve with parmesan cheese if using. If you want to add creaminess, you can drizzle with heavy cream or coconut milk before serving. I love serving it with crusty bread (I prefer homemade sourdough), homemade crackers, croutons or a grilled cheese sandwich.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 5-7 days in the refrigerator. This soup will also freeze well for longer storage. Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to three months.
More Soup Recipes to Try
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Quinoa Vegetable Soup
- Curried Pumpkin Soup
- Vegan Potato Soup
- Easy Black Bean Soup
- Vegan Split Pea Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Carrot Parsnip Soup
- Cauliflower Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Soup
Be sure to check out all of the soup recipes here on EBF!
Tomato Basil Soup
Ingredients
- 4 pounds plum or roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided (plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided (plus more to taste)
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups vegetable broth (plus more depending on how thick you want the soup)
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- shredded or grated Parmesan cheese, vegan if needed
- basil leaves, for garnish
- crusty bread (like sourdough), crackers or grilled cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Add tomatoes and garlic to a large bowl and toss them with 3 Tablespoons of olive oil. Spread tomatoes and garlic onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Roast for 40 minutes.
- While tomatoes are roasting, in a Dutch oven or large pot, heat remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions, ½ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent and start to brown and caramelize, about 20 minutes.
- Once onions are caramelized add Italian seasoning and vegetable broth. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- At this point your tomatoes should be done roasting. Remove from the oven and let them cool slightly before transferring the tomatoes, along with the garlic and juices into the Dutch oven.
- Turn down heat, add fresh basil and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a blender. Carefully transfer the soup mixture into your blender and blend until smooth or until you reach your desired consistency. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender.
- Taste and add any additional salt and pepper and more vegetable broth, if desired, to reach your preferred consistency.
- When ready to serve, divide soup into 4 bowls. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with parmesan cheese, as well as, crusty bread, grilled cheese or crackers.
Notes
- Parmesan cheese: Try my vegan hemp parmesan for a vegan option.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello Brittany, I am going to try this recipe. I wonder if your recipes are geared for those who are already healthy? My husband needs recipes to lower ldl. Do you have any like that. I’ve noticed lots of them have sources of sat fat and unless I make substitutions, I can’t make them. I am referring to things like coconut oil and milk, eggs and lots of cheese. Please advise.
Hey Lois, It really just depends on the recipe. Many of the recipes include substitutions, but always feel free to ask me if you’re unsure 🙂
Hi,
Would you recommend crushed or diced tomatoes if we don’t have that many tomatoes on hand or an immersion blender? I don’t have an immersion blender. Thank you!
Hey Livia – Either option will work just fine. Do you have a regular blender? You can use that instead of an immersion blender!
We loved this soup! You get more than just soup! The strained leftovers make a sort of pesto. I sliced some French bread, toasted it,then spread some of the “pesto” on the bread and sprinkled it with grated Parmesan cheese and baked for about 10 min at 350. You can also use the “pesto”, add some sour cream and grated Parmesan and make a delicious dip!
Yum! That sounds so delicious, Madeline! Thanks for making the recipe and sharing how you used the leftovers.
Eating this right now! So good, so dang fresh, large 2c portions. Made it exactly as written for cooking, but I did add 1/2T salt after blending. I also tried making the vegan parm. It tastes good by itself, but is wholly unnecessary added with the soup as the soup flavors are strong. Served with a side of broiled ciabatta slices with evoo, S&P. Very satisfying lunch. Thanks!